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Sunday, April 9, 2017

Book Review: Happy and Whole by Magdalena Roze

Title: Happy and WholeAuthor: Magdalena RozePublication Date: April 2017Synopsis: "Magdalena's food is simple, nutritious and delicious. Her recipes celebrate traditional wholefoods that not only taste great, but also have great health benefits. It's the way our grandparents (or great grandparents) used to eat, but with a little bit of indulgence too. It's not about eliminating things such as sugar, dairy or carbs - although many recipes are free of these ingredients, but focusing more on what's in season, tastes the best and then enjoying every moment of what we make! It's about being more thoughtful or mindful about what we feed ourselves and our loved ones. The recipes are divided into chapters based on the weather and the kinds of foods we crave in those environments - sushi, seafood and cooling sorbets in humid weather; soups, stews and warm desserts in cloudy/cool weather; and fresh salads and smoothies in sunny weather.Scattered between the recipes are spreads on living naturally as possible, covering everything from Magdalena's food philosophy, to DIY beauty tips, simple decorating ideas, and natural cleaning products."My thoughts: Boy, have I been spoiled with lovely cookbooks coming my way lately! This one was absolutely gorgeous: the photography is beautiful; Roze's ideas about eating seasonally resonating so well with my own; I just felt joy at being able to read through the recipes and suggestions for living naturally.She even has a section in here about what houseplants you should get! And that is something that has been on my mind for some time, so I was overjoyed to find such a lovely list in here.I love how this book is separated based on what the weather is doing - because I love eating seasonally, this just made so much sense to me. We seem to naturally crave warm, hearty meals in winter, and cool, refreshing meals in summer - so why not separate the cookbook out this way? Reading about Roze's own issues with diet and particularly skin issues at the beginning of the book was also helpful - seeing that she has looked after herself so well, and reading about her thoughts on how new mothers need to remember to care for themselves after the birth of their child, the reader just feels like she wants to share what she has learned and help others to improve their health naturally through wholefoods.Overall, this is just a beautifully put together book, and has already become a part of my lovely collection.[I received a review copy of this book from Pan Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!!!]A favourite recipe from the book: Slow-roasted Tomato and Turmeric Soup is calling my name...You would like this book if: You enjoy beautiful cookbooks with hints for living naturally, gorgeous photography, and cute babies.Tea to drink while reading this book: Roze actually has some suggestions in here for making/growing your own tea, so I would recommend some natural herbal tea from your own garden!Rating: 9.5/10If you'd like to keep up to date with what I'm reading, follow me on Goodreads here!